Backing members for garment fastening devices

ABSTRACT

A sheet-metal backing member for pronged garment fasteners comprises a plate body portion having integral tongues confronting the rear face thereof in folded-over and abutting relationship. Apertures in the tongues register with cam surfaces of recesses which are embossed in the plate body portion and which provide pockets adapted to accommodate and closely confine the fastener prongs driven through the apertures and automatically clenched by said cam surfaces.

United States Patent Cruse 1 Sept. 30, 1975 1 1 BACKING MEMBERS FORGARMENT 2.975.495 3/1961 Wolf et a1. 24 95 FASTENING DEVICES 3.290.74912/1966 Colin 24/227 3.466.711 9/1969 Hirsch... 24/95 [76] Inventor:Adrian Robert Cruse. 39 St. Pauls Squurc Birmingham England FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS p l Fl d J 19 1972 1.151.322 5/1969 UnitedKingdom..... 24/227 l e une [21] Appl. No.; 263,812 PrimaryIirzuniner-Roy D. Frazier Aszvixmn! E.\'uminerDarre1l Marquette 1Foreign A plicafion Priori Data Amn'nqv. Agent. or FirmRiehards 84 GcierJune 21. 1971 United Kingdom 29037/71 [57] ABSTRACT 11 U s C] 24/974/617 A sheet-metal backing member for pronged garment Int 2: A443313/00 fasteners comprises a plate body portion having inte- Field ofsuearch 24/077 5 1531 gral tongues confronting the rear face thereof infold- 26g ed-over and abutting relationship. Apertures in the tonguesregister with cam surfaces of recesses which 61 References Cited areembossed in the plate body portion and which provide pockets adapted toaccommodate and closely UNITED STATES PATENTS confine the fastenerprongs driven through the aper- 513x! 4/1394 F 34/365 A tures andautomaticallv clenched by said cam sur- 1.242 62() 10/1917 Washhurne24/15 I faces 2.532.313 12/1950 Innacelli 24/15? 1 2923.044 2/l960 Hoeh24/? 3 Claims. 7 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 3,908,237

3 2 I9 20 Ai 3| BACKING MEMBERS FOR GARMENT FASTENING DEVICES Thisinvention relates to garment fastening devices of the kind comprising apronged fastener component having integral attachment prongs which arepassed through a portion of the garment fabric material and clenchedupon a backing member to clamp the latter to the back of said portion ofmaterial thereby firmly to secure and anchor said fastener component inplace.

The above-described form of attachment is commonly utilised for sheetmetal hook and eye fastener components of hook-and-eye fastening devicesemployed in the clothing trade, and backing members are commonly usedwhich are in the form of a sheet-metal back-plate provided withprong-receiving apertures through which the attachment prongs are passedbefore being clenched over against a face of the back-plate. Usually,however, although the back-plate may be recessed so that the attachmentprongs are shielded or lie flush within the contour of the back-plateafter clenching, the clenched prongs remainexposed to view, and theback-plate needs to be covered and concealed by another layer or layersof fabric material in order for such attachment means to be commerciallyacceptable. In some cases, the make-up of a garment is such that theneed to cover and conceal backing members of prong-attached fastenercomponents presents no disadvantage, but in other cases it is mostdesirable or necessary to secure prong-attached fastener components bymeans of backing members applied to an exterior or exposed surface of aportion of the garment without additional covering.

To meet the latter requirement, hollow box-like forms and simulatedbutton or cap forms of backing members have been proposed, but thesehave generally been rather bulky and not as completely satisfactory asmay be desired.

An object of the present invention is accordingly to provide a backingmember of a garment fastening device'of the kind referred to having animproved structure which can enable said backing member to be producedin a form eminently suitable for exposed use,

without additional covering, on exterior surface portions of garmentsand whichmay also present other advantages.

According to the invention, a backing member for a pronged fastenercomponent of a garment fastening device of the kind referred tocomprises a sheet-metal plate body portion having opposite first andsecond faces and, indented in said body portion, a recessed formation orconfiguration which provides said first face with an embossed orprotuberant profile and which provides, re-entrant with respect to saidsecond face of the body portion, a recess or recesses adapted toaccommodate the prongs of the pronged fastener component afterclenching, said backing rnember further comprising, in folded-overrelationship with said body portion, an integral tongue portion whichconfronts said second face of the body portion in substantially abuttingengagement and which partially covers said recess or recesses anddefines openings for entry, into said recess or recesses, of theattachment prongs, of the pronged fastener component, said recess orrecesses having, adjacent said openings, curved or inclined surfacesadapted to engage and deflect the fastener'component prongs when thelatter are driven through said openings into the recess or recessesduring the operation of attaching the fastener component by means of aclenching press thereby automatically to clench said prongs and causethem to engage, within said recess or recesses, against said tongueportion so as to clamp the backing member to the garment fabricmaterial.

Preferably, the recessed formation or configuration extends over anarea'which constitutes a minor proportion, that is, less than 50%, ofthe total area of the body portion and is produced bylocalisedindentations form ing a plurality of said recesses which, inco-operation with the tongue portion, provide discrete spaced-apartpockets each adapted to accommodate and closely confine one attachmentprong.

Also, the openings for entry of the attachment prongs are preferablyprovided by apertures, advantageously substantially elliptical in shape,in the folded-over tongue portion which covers the recessed area, andthe tongue portion itself comprises two separate tongue elements.

By way of example, one preferred form of backing member, designed foruse with a pronged staple or eye member of a garment hook-and-eyefastening device and constructed in accordance with the invention, isillustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation;

FIG. 3 is an end view;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the sheet-metal blankfrom which the backing member is produced;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pronged staple'or eye member; and

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section which illustrates the manner in whichthe backing member co-operates with the prongs of the staple or eyemember during the operation of attaching the latter to a portion ofgarment fabric material.

-Referring to the drawing, the backing member shown therein, denotedgenerally by the reference numeral 10, comprises an elongatesubstantially rectangular sheet-metal body portion 11 having oppositefront and rear faces 12 and 13 respectively, and an integral tongueportion, comprising two separate tongue elements 15, 15, disposed infolded-over relationship with said body portion 11, confronts and liessubstantially in contact or abutting engagement with the rear face 13.

The tongue elements l5, 15, are each integrally connected to the bodyportion 11 by an abrupt U-bend 16 formed by a narrowed waist portion wof a sheet-metal strip b which constitutes the blank from which thebacking member 10 is produced, said waist portion w being defined by andextending between substantially V-shaped notches l8, 18, inopposite'marginal side edges as shown in FIG. 5. This feature reducesthe tendency of the sheet-metal to buckle or crumple during folding andformation of each 'U-bend l6.

As shown, the body portion 11, which is slightly curved in transversesection to give greater rigidity, is provided with a pair ofspaced-apart localised indented recesses l9, 19, of substantially,arcuate cross .section which are-re-entrant with respect to the rearface 13 and which give an embossed orprotuberant profile to the oppositefront face 12. These recesses 19, 19, are each of shallow, elongate formtapering in width and having a depth which, although it increasestowards one end, conforms substantially to the thickness of the sheetmetal (see FIG. 7).

As will be clear from the drawing, the indented recessed formation orconfiguration provided by the recesses l9, 19, extends over an areawhich constitutes a minor proportion of the total area of the bodyportion 11, opposite side walls 33, 34 of each recess 19 provide lateralfirst and second interior guide surface portions which converge so thateach recess 19 also tapers in width to conform to a tapering profile ofthe attachment prongs of the pronged component. The base of each recess19 defines the depth thereof and forms a third interior guide surface,integrally connecting said first and second guide surfaces, for guidingthe clenched prongs into substantially flat surface contact with tongueelements l5, 15, as shown in FIG. 7.

. The tongue elements l5, l5, which extend longitudinally in alinementtowards a central region and towards one another from opposite endregions of said body portion 11, lie over and partially cover theindented recesses l9, l9, apertures 20, 20, being formed in said tongueelements to define openings for entry, into said recesses, of theattachment-prongs of the eye member fastener component as hereinafterdescribed.

The apertures 20, 20, have a substantially elliptical profile and theyare in alignment or register with cam surface elements formed byadjacent curved or inclined surfaces 22 within said recesses.

FIG. 6 shows a typical pronged staple or eye member 24, with which thebacking member is intended to be used. As shown, it has a pair ofspaced-apart attachment prongs 25, 25, connected by a bridge or barportion 26, and is formed from sheet-metal of thickness similar to thatof the backing member.

In use, in attaching the staple or eye member 24 to a portion of garmentfabric material 28 as indicated in FIG. 7, the back member 10 issupported in a suitable recessed lower dic 30 of a clenching press overwhich is then placed the garment fabric material. Meanwhile,

.the staple or eye member 24 is mounted in a conventional upper die orworkholder tool 31 of the clenching press which tool has a pivoted footportion 32 adapted to fit closely under the bar or bridge portion 26between the prongs 25, 25. The-clenching press is then operated to bringsaid lower and upper dies together and the prongs 25, 25, are forciblydriventhrough the .material, through the apertures 20, 20, and arecaused to engage said curved or inclined surfaces 22, 22, so that theyare thereby automatically bent over and clenched to lie in closeconfinement within the respective pockets formed by the partiallycovered recesses l9, l9, and lie in engagement with the tongue elementsl5, l5. Thereby the backing member 10 is firmly clamped to the fabricmaterial 28. During this operation, the tongue elements l5, 15, areprevented from lifting by the foot portion 32 of the workholder tool 31holding the staple member 24 as indicated in FIG. 7.

The substantially elliptical form of the apertures 20, 20, assists inlocating precisely the exact position of entry of the prongs 25, 25,into the recesses 19, 19, and due to the size and shape of the pocketsformed by said recesses relative to the prongs, and in particular due tothe aforesaid first, second and third interior guide surfaces curling,twisting and skewing is prevented and said prongs are constrained to liesubstantially flat, after clenching, as shown also in FIG. 7, therebyproviding a more efficient clamping than is frequently obtained withconventional plain apenured. back-plate kinds of backing members since,with the latter, the prongs of the pronged fastener component often tendto retain a distorted curvature which reduces the area in contact withthe backing member. Also, with the present backing member 10, apart fromthe fact that the prongs are completely concealed from view and arefully shielded in respect of possible damaging contact with the garmentmaterial after clenching, there is no possibility of them lifting andloosening the security of the attachment of the fastener componentduring use.

The backing member 10 as above-described can be readily manufacturedfrom a one-piece sheet-metal strip blank, and as a result of thelocalised embossed formation of the indented recesses l9, l9, and of thereduction to a minimum of the volume of hollow spaces enclosed withinthe structure, it is extremely strong and resistant to crushing or otherdistortion if, for example, it is subjectedto the action of a garmentpress.

Also, it will be appreciated that it is neat and compact in appearance,and since it completely conceals the clenched prongs, it is eminentlysuitable and acceptable for use in exposed positions on garments withoutadditional covering.

. If desired, however, numerous modifications may be made, within thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, in the precisestructural details hereinabove described. For example, in alternativeembodiments, the tongue elements 15, 15, constituting the tongue portioncould be replaced by a single tongue, extending from one end or side ofthe body portion, having a plurality of apertures which registerrespectively with the prong-receiving recesses, or the two separaterecesses l9, 19, could be merged into one another to provide a singlerecess of greater size sufficient to accommodate both prongs. Also, itwill be appreciated that the backing member can readily be designed foruse with pronged fastener components other than a staple or eye member.such as for example a hook member of a garment hook-and-eye fasteningdevice having a plurality of attachment prongs appropriately orientated.I

l claim:

l. A backing member for a pronged fastener compo nent 'of a garmentfastening device, said backing member comprising a substantiallyrectangular elongated plate body portion having bounding peripheraledges, opposite first and second faces, first and second end regions, acentral region intermediate said end regions, a pair of separateelongated recesses re-entrant with respect to said second face of thebody portion and longitudinally in alignment with one another, andgenerally planar portions fully surrounding said recesses and spacingsaid recesses inwards from the peripheral edges of said body portion,said recesses each being in the form of a discrete localised indentationof substantially arcuate cross section in the body portion extendingfrom a respective said end region towards said centre region, saidbacking member further comprising, in folded-over relationship with saidbody portion, an integral tongue portion which confronts said secondface in substantially abutting relationship and overlies said recessesto provide, in co-operation therewith, discrete longitudinallyspaced-apart pockets each adapted to accommodate and closely confine aclenched-over single said attachment prong of the pronged fastenercomponent, said tongue portion having a pair of apertures disposed oneadjacent the outer end of each recess which is remote from the centralregion of the body portion for entry of the prongs into the pockets, theindentations forming said recesses providing, at said outer ends of therecesses, cam surface elements which engage and deflect the fastenercomponent prongs into said pockets when the prongs are driven throughsaid apertures during the operation of securing the fastener componentby means of a clenching press and further providing, contiguous with thecam surface element of each recess, lateral first and second guidesurface portions forming opposite sides of the recess which confinelaterally the respective prong clenched into said recess, and a thirdguide surface portion, forming the base of the recess integrallyconnecting said lateral first and second guide surface portions, whichdefines the depth of said recess relative to said planar portions andguides the prong during clenching into substantially flat sur' facecontact with the tongue portion overlying said recess whereby tosecurely clamp the backing member to the garment fabric material, saiddepth conforming substantially to the thickness of the plate bodyportion. and wherein the body portion and said tongue portion insubstantially abutting relationship therewith has, in transversecross-section, a shallow curvature convex in relation to said first faceof said body portion.

2. A backing member according to claim 1, wherein the tongue elementsare each integrally connected to the body portion by a narrowed waistportion defined by and extending between substantially V-shaped notchesin opposite marginal side edges, each said waist portion having aconfiguration providing an abrupt U- bend formation.

3. A backing member according to claim 1, wherein the lateral first andsecond guide surfaces converging to provide a tapering profile for thewidth of each recess and pocket so as to conform to a tapering profileof the prongs.

1. A backing member for a pronged fastener component of a garmentfastening device, said backing member comprising a substantiallyrectangular elongated plate body portion having bounding peripheraledges, opposite first and second faces, first and second end regions, acentral region intermediate said end regions, a pair of separateelongated recesses re-entrant with respect to said second face of thebody portion and longitudinally in alignment with one another, andgenerally planar portions fully surrounding said recesses and spacingsaid recesses inwards from the peripheral edges of said body portion,said recesses each being in the form of a discrete localised indentationof substantially arcuate cross section in the body portion extendingfrom a respective said end region towards said centre region, saidbacking member further comprising, in foldedover relationship with saidbody portion, an integral tongue portion which confronts said secondface in substantially abutting relationship and overlies said recessesto provide, in co-operation therewith, discrete longitudinallyspaced-apart pockets each adapted to accommodate and closely confine aclenched-over single said attachment prong of the pronged fastenercomponent, said tongue portion having a pair of apertures disposed oneadjacent the outer end of each recess which is remote from the centralregion of the body portion for entry of the prongs into the pockets, theindentations forming said recesses providing, at said outer ends of therecesses, cam surface elements which engage and deflect the fastenercomponent prongs into said pockets when the prongs are driven throughsaid apertures during the operation of securing the fastener componentby means of a clenching press and further providing, contiguous with thecam surface element of each recess, lateral first and second guidesurface portions forming opposite sides of the recess which confinelaterally the respective prong clenched into said recess, and a thirdguide surface portion, forming the base of the recess integrallyconnecting said lateral first and second guide surface portions, whichdefines the depth of said recess relative to said planar portions andguides the prong during clenching into substantially flat surfacecontact with the tongue portion overlying said recess whereby tosecurely clamp the backing member to the garment fabric material, saiddepth conforming substantially to the thickness of the plate bodyportion, and wherein the body portion and said tongue portion insubstantiaLly abutting relationship therewith has, in transversecross-section, a shallow curvature convex in relation to said first faceof said body portion.
 2. A backing member according to claim 1, whereinthe tongue elements are each integrally connected to the body portion bya narrowed waist portion defined by and extending between substantiallyV-shaped notches in opposite marginal side edges, each said waistportion having a configuration providing an abrupt U-bend formation. 3.A backing member according to claim 1, wherein the lateral first andsecond guide surfaces converging to provide a tapering profile for thewidth of each recess and pocket so as to conform to a tapering profileof the prongs.